Bravo turned the game on its head: Aaron Finch

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Aaron Finch Gujarat Lions IPL 9
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Aaron Finch. (Photo Source: BCCI)

Gujarat Lions opener Aaron Finch may have played the innings that won the match for the new franchise. However, Finch has given the bulk of the credit to West Indian all-rounder Dwayne Bravo. Bravo’s spell saw him remove the dangerous Glenn Maxwell and the hard-hitting skipper David Miller. He concluded with figures of 4-22.

Speaking in the post-match presser, the Aussie opener said that Bravo’s spell turned the game on its head.

“It was the turning point in their batting innings, I think,” Finch said in the post-match conference after Lions scripted a five-wicket win on their IPL debut.

“When you’ve got two guys like Maxwell and Miller, with the firepower they have got and the six-hitting capability, I suppose, to get them both in the same over, to be able to have two new batters in to dry up (the runs) for a small period there was absolutely crucial.”

“He’s been absolutely brilliant for every team that he has played for. For the West Indies, here at Gujarat, even at Chennai (Super Kings), he was fantastic. He’s someone who just keeps getting better and better with age and he’s not slowing down. He brings so much to the table with the bat, ball, and field. Very happy that he is on our side,” Finch gushed.

The Kings XI had got off to a good start and found themselves at 78-0 in 8 overs. Ravindra Jadeja was introduced into the attack as he claimed the wickets of both openers. Bravo, then into his second over chimed in with a virtuoso performance, dismissing the subsequent batsman. Finch also credited bowlers, James Faulkner, and Praveen Kumar.

“Well, I would have liked for it (runs in powerplay) to be less, but at the end of the day, you have to appreciate good cricket. And (Murali) Vijay played some beautiful shots out there. It was actually nice to watch, (and) if he wasn’t getting so many runs, one would have been clapping but, it is just a part of the game.

“There are only two men outside the circle, so it is hard to defend with the new ball. And if you bowl any kind of width, it could travel quite a bit. The way the bowlers fought back – Praveen Kumar, Bravo, and Faulkner – the way they bowled the last five or six overs was actually unbelievable and restricted it to a manageable chase,” Finch added.

Apart from stating the obvious intention of Brendon McCullum, Finch also added that it was important that the Lions did, in fact, get off to a winning start.

“We know how Brendon plays – it is risk or reward. I’m trying to do the exact same thing. It is just the part of the game where you are looking to get off to an absolute flyer with the bat. Especially on wickets like these that are really good, we wanted to make most of the new ball. That’s the plan, and unfortunately, didn’t work for Brendon today. But his records suggest that more often than not it does.”

“You want to start a tournament well,” Finch said, before adding, “It was disappointing to get out when I did but at the same time, to put us in a wining position like that was really pleasing.”

It gets the heart racing a little bit when you see Mitch at the top of his mark. He’s terrorised me in the nets and in every game I have played against him in the past. It was just one of those days I guess. The wicket was really nice to bat on. But yeah, he is someone who does tend to keep me up at nights sometimes if you’re playing against him.

Finch also stated the possibility of promoting Ravindra Jadeja up the order as they did against the Lions.

“Whenever Jadeja has had a chance to bat up the order, he’s done very well for his country and for his franchise as well. I think it could be something we could be seeing more often. It could (depend on) left-right combination, it could be a number of things. I thought the way he was striking was amazing. Unfortunate that he got run out there,” Finch said.

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